Nyeri, Kenya – At just 17, Daniel Waigwa, a student at Kagumo High School, is proving that young people are not waiting on the sidelines in the fight against climate change. On May 24, Waigwa organized the inaugural Kijani Festival, a youth-led environmental event that drew more than 2,500 students from across Kenya.
The festival, hosted at Kagumo High School, aimed to spark climate awareness among young people while giving them a platform to showcase innovative solutions to environmental challenges. With sponsorship from companies such as Coca-Cola, Zetech University, Pwani Oil Products, and Indomie, the festival featured competitions, project showcases, and discussions on the climate crisis.
The festival, hosted at Kagumo High School, aimed to spark climate awareness among young people while giving them a platform to showcase innovative solutions to environmental challenges. With sponsorship from companies such as Coca-Cola, Zetech University, Pwani Oil Products, and Indomie, the festival featured competitions, project showcases, and discussions on the climate crisis.
Waigwa says his motivation stems from the urgency of the climate emergency. “Even though the young generation has contributed the least towards the climate crisis, they will suffer the effects more,” he told reporters. “We need to act now.”
Across Kenya, floods, prolonged droughts, and erratic rainfall have become common, yet climate change remains a topic rarely addressed in schools. Waigwa argues that the little information offered is often “too scientific and boring,” making it inaccessible to students. Through the Kijani Festival, he hopes to change that by making climate education youth-friendly and action-oriented.
The event’s structure emphasized creativity: participants competed in projects tackling environmental problems, with the best ideas receiving support to grow beyond the festival. Waigwa believes this model can help young people not only learn but also lead.
“The festival intends to create a platform where the youth can grow their talents as they conserve the environment,” he said. The successful debut has Waigwa dreaming bigger. He now hopes to expand Kijani Festival into an international event, uniting youth from around the world to take bold steps against the climate crisis
